Outsmarting Voldemort
by Otaku of Anime
Summary: What if Lily and James realized that Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them? This is how I think the series would have happened if this happened. I suck at summaries but my writing makes up for it. Rated T for later chapters. First chapter is a prologue.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys. This is only my second story and I am really going to need help. My other story is for the PJO/HOO series. This is my first Harry Potter story so it will probably be a little weird at the beginning in the first few chapters. Please be patient with me as I write this story because I kinda suck at making a regular update schedule. We will just have to see how this turns out. If I get positive reviews, I will continue with the story. If there are bad reviews, I will continue with the story because I will ask for any criticism to be constructive. I don't really have anything else to add to this note so I will leave you to read the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I am not Joanne Rowling and I do not own the Harry Potter series or anything to do with it. The only thing that I own is the ideas behind this fanfiction story, and any original characters that I choose to add.**

The Realization

 **James POV (first person. sorry)**

After Wormtail left, I just couldn't help but realize how differently he had been acting. Yes, he does act weird sometimes, but he was acting more off of the norm tonight when he was near Harry.

"James, love. What seems to be the matter? You normally aren't this tense after Peter leaves the house. Do you want me to contact Padfoot by way of the floo?"

"I would rather appreciate that. Thank you Lily. Could you please contact Moony as well, and have them both come here? I need to have a conversation with them, and it has to happen immediately."

Only my wife can tell when something is bothering me when none of the other three marauders are near me.

Being as it is that I am deep in thought, I am rather surprised when I suddenly hear my two best friends, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, talking to Lily while walking into the room. When I see them, I instantly get up and walk over to them while brandishing my wand.

"James! I already made sure as they stepped out of the fireplace! You don't need to check them because I already did." Thank merlin I have an amazing wife.

"I'm sorry for scaring you Lily. Just making sure it was them." I said while putting my wand back in its holster.

"Honestly Prongs. Did you really think that your wife forgot to do the magical check? You know that polyjuice potion doesn't work for people trying to turn into Remus." Sirius said while chuckling. I mentally slapped myself for forgetting that.

"Sorry Padfoot. Sorry Moony. I'm just on edge is all. Anyway, what I need to talk to you guys about is something that I never wished to talk about. You should be here for this discussion as well Lily. This is that important."

When I saw the looks of confusion on the faces of my two best friends and my wife, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. "It concerns Wormtail. He has been acting more peculiar than normal, and I don't think that he can be trusted anymore. He was looking at us with fake pity and it was really giving me cause for concern. It was almost like he wanted _him_ to win the war. This leads me to believe that he has turned traitor on us, and has told You-Know-Who about where we are living now. We need to figure out a way to get to a different safe house somewhere."

I could tell that all of them were shocked by my news, but there is no denying the fact that Peter Pettigrew isn't as faithful as he looks. Especially now with the way that he was acting tonight. I almost didn't see the look that Sirius and Remus exchanged with each other.

"What you just said is true, and Wormtail has betrayed us. We need to act quickly. Wormtail can't be trusted anymore." There is a reason that I asked for Remus to be here. That reason is because of the way that he deducts things.

"I knew that this would happen sooner or later. I couldn't trust him too much at school. Now that my beloved son is in danger, all respect that I had for him is now gone. James love, I will leave it to you to contact Albus and arrange for room to be made for us at Hogwarts. I will pack up everything that we will need while Sirius takes care of Harry and keeps him entertained. Remus, could you be so kind as to search for Wormtail? We need to do this quickly gentlemen."

As I listened to my wife speaking, I was already making my way to my study to send a patronus to the headmaster of Hogwarts. This has to be taken care of immediately.

 **AN: So there you have it. The first chapter of this story. I really need to do more writing, and the only way to do that is to write. If the story isn't to your liking, I am deeply sorry. I will see you in the next update.**


	2. Chapter 2

****AN: Hey guys. Got another chapter for all of you. This one is rather fast paced compared to the prologue. I really hope you enjoy it, and I will see you at the end of the chapter.****

 ** **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to the wonderfully amazing J. K. Rowling****

 ** **James POV:****

 ** **Moving Into Hogwarts****

 **(2 hours after end of prologue)**

 **When I arrived back home with Padfoot, I was rather surprised when we stepped into what used to be the sitting room, to see Lily and Moony standing in the middle of the room. Harry nestled into my wife's arms.**

 **Seeing the shell shocked expression on my face, my wife started laughing softly while shaking her head slowly. "Honestly James. Did you really think that packing up everything in the house would take as long as it does for muggles? Yes, I would have preferred to have packed everything in the traditional way, but in a situation like this, time is of the essence. I promise you that we will unpack everything the muggle way when we get to the other safe house."**

 **Right after she said that, we heard what could only be described as an explosion. That could only mean one thing. Voldemort had found out where we were living under the fidelius charm, meaning that Wormtail really** ** _had_** **betrayed us. Unfortunately for us, Harry woke from the explosion that was the blasting curse used on the door, and started crying almost immediately.**

 **"** **Lily! Go! Floo to the Headmaster's office now! We will be right behind you!" I had to raise my voice when I said this because of how loudly my son was crying.**

 **As I was saying this, Lily had already started running towards the fireplace, with Harry held close to her, and a small beaded bag with a string tied around her wrist. Moony, Padfoot, and I followed soon thereafter.**

 **When we arrived at the fireplace, the green flames of the floo network surrounded my wife and child, and were retreating. Before stepping into the floo, I had to check my pockets. Good thing I did because there was something missing.**

 **Moony must have noticed the look of horror on my face, because he said; "Relax Prongs. Lily has your wand and your cloak is with me. Now lets get going before** ** _He_** **catches us. You go first because Lily will be worried sick otherwise."**

 **I could only nod my thanks as I stepped into the fireplace before my two best friends, with floo powder in hand. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's Office!" I practically yelled out, before throwing the powder at my feet.**

 **The last thing I saw before the green flames engulfed me, was Voldemort walking into the room, and my two best friends running to the fireplace to floo together.**

 **AN: Well? How was the chapter? I need reviews. Otherwise I don't know how I am doing. Please leave a review. If you have criticism, please make sure it is constructive. Thanks! I will not take as long for the next chapter update as Rick Riordan did to publish his next book after the Mark of Athena book. See you all next time!**

 **~Otaku out**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys. New chapter already. I know it is quick, but I just couldn't resist. This one is rather long. Long for me that is. I don't think that I have ever written a chapter for either of my stories that is this long. Well, I guess that there is nothing else that I can say now other than the fact that I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter.**

 **The Discussion With Albus**

(James POV)

When I stopped spinning and landed in Dumbledore's office, I immediately stepped out of the fireplace and turned around. I waited, watching expectantly for my two best friends. It was only two seconds, but it felt like forever. When Moony and Padfoot emerged from the fireplace, I instantly grabbed them and pulled them into a tight embrace.

"As much as I hate to interrupt," Albus said from behind me, "we must speak urgently. I can easily see by your actions after entering my office that something went wrong when you came here?" His question was more of a statement.

"Yes." I said while turning around. "Something went terribly wrong. Not five minutes after I got back home, Voldemort had blasted down the front door."

When I said that, Dumbledore's facial features turned grave. "Unfortunately, I don't have another safe house ready for you yet. Therefore, the only place that I can send you is the Burrow."

When I heard that, I instantly sighed in relief. My wife decided then, that she would ruin the moment. "why are you sending us to live with the Weasleys, when they have enough of a financial problem already?" She asked Albus.

"I thought you would ask me that Lily. I figure that Pettigrew would be so impatient, that he will not wait for Voldemort to return. And instead, run away out of fear." Dumbledore replied calmly.

"I couldn't agree with you more headmaster. In fact, that is something that Pettigrew would do. He is too much of a coward." I was elated when Remus said this. "You never know whether he will go hide with muggles, or hide with a wizarding family."

"You're right Moony. He may be a coward, but he isn't stupid. I have a feeling that he might do something worse though." Padfoot replied.

"Whatever the case is, James and I need to be kept safe, and the same goes for my dearest son." Thank Merlin that my wife is concerned about our safety more than anything else at the moment.

"I fully understand that Lily. Which is why I have you going to live with the Weasleys. I talked with Arthur when you and James first went into hiding under the fidelius. Both of us agreed that should anything happen, such as this, you were to go live with them. Both him and Molly agreed and fully understand the risks that this entails."

As Dumbledore said this, I could see the defeat appearing on Lily's face. Realizing that she was fighting tears, I walked over to her and wrapped her into a loving embrace. When I embraced her, I automatically felt tears on my chest, through the thin cloak that I had on.

"Everything will be okay Love. This just shows that Molly and Arthur are willing to die to protect us." I whispered into my wife's ear. She only nodded in response to what I said. "Although you might not like the idea of it, I can ask Albus if we could live at Potter Manor. There will be a fidelius charm, but this time Sirius will be the secret keeper. I don't care what he tries to tell me this time." I continued.

After getting a nod of approval from my wife, I turned to Albus after letting go of her. "I have a proposition." I said, catching Albus by surprise. "We will go to another house, but it will not be the Burrow. We will go to Potter Manor. It has just as much protective charms and enchantments on it, if not more, and has been in the family since the Peverell brothers were around. Ignotus was, in fact, the one who had it built, I also insist that we go under the fidelius again."

To say that Albus was shocked was an understatement. "I am sorry James. I had forgotten about the manor. Are you sure that you want to go there though?"

"I am absolutely certain of it. And Sirius," I said with his actual name to stress how important this was to me. "You _will_ be the secret keeper. I don't care what you say. I am now trusting you with my life, and I expect you to not take this matter lightly. My life, as well as the lives of my wife and your godson, are now being put under your oath of secrecy. Tell me Sirius. Who else can I trust with this information now, other than my best friend since my first year at this very school?"

I knew that once I reminded him of the fact that he was Harry's godfather, that he would agree to it. I could even see it in his face when I said it.

"Okay James. I'll do it. I guess it is high time that I really take responsibility for something other than what concerns me." Padfoot almost sighed when he said that, but he held it back because of the importance of the situation.

"Well then. Should we get started?" Only Albus could say something with such a light tone in a situation like this.

"Yes Albus. Let's get it done with."

 **AN: wow. long chapter right? I am really sorry if this chapter wasn't to your liking but it really had to be done. Thank you to the two people that reviewed in the previous chapter. Also, the beaded bag that was tied to Lily's wrist kinda looks like the one that Hermione used in the Deathly Hallows. Just think of it like that. If you were already thinking of it in that way, you were ahead of my explanation. Anyways, I don't really have much more to say about the story. I will see you guys next chapter.**

 **~Otaku Out**


	4. Chapter 4

**James: Not that I don't like all the attention or anything, but when will Harry be the main focus?**

 **Me: All in due time Prongs. Remember, good things come to those who wait.**

 **Lily: He is right you know. Harry is still too young to understand what is going on right now.**

 **Me: Right Lily. If you could do the honors please?**

 **Lily: Very well. Otaku of Anime does not own any of the works of the great Joanne Rowling. The only things that are his are the ideas behind this story.**

 **Me: Thanks! On with the story.**

After the fidelius charm was set up, we all traveled to Potter Manor via the floo network. Of course, Albus stayed behind at Hogwarts so as to not cause the students to worry. It was not until we all arrived safely that I finally allowed myself to relax.

"Oh, thank Merlin we didn't run into too many complications. Had anything else gone wrong, we probably wouldn't be as safe as we are now." I said while letting out a sigh of relief.

"All too true James. I might not have shown it while we were with Dumbledore, but I was actually afraid for my life before Remus and I arrived in the Headmaster's office. I'm just glad that we had our wits about us and our reflexes and dodging were up to par." Padfoot said, agreeing with me. What surprised me was the fact that he actually used our names instead of the ones that we have on the map.

"Who are you and what have you done with the Sirius Black that I know?" Moony calmly asked while smirking.

To say I was shocked to hear this would be an understatement. It was like my two best friends had swapped personalities with each other in the time it took to floo here. The only thing that kept me pinned to reality was the distraught expression on my wife's face.

It was then that she finally spoke. "Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin. I order the both of you to stop this nonsense now. This is a matter of high importance and the two of you are acting like bloody children! I will not allow you to do this any longer, and especially not around my son!" Remus and Sirius instantly froze in shock of what Lily said. "In case you haven't noticed yet, I had to completely relocate my entire life just now, and I am fearing for the lives of Alice and Frank Longbottom and their son Neville! How could you be taking this so lightly? Other members of the Order could die tonight. How would you feel if Andromeda, Ted, and Nymphadora were to die tonight, Sirius? And Remus, how would you feel if Marlene were to die tonight? I know she isn't a part of your family, but she is a good friend of yours. Either the two of you get your act together or I will, so Merlin help me."

When Lily finished scolding Remus and Sirius, she gave me a look that made it clear I was not to interfere, or help them in any way. My only response was to nervously give a slight nod while motioning towards Harry, who was thankfully still asleep, and silently offering to take him to the nursery so that he could sleep comfortably.

Lily apparently understood what I meant, because she nodded while walking over to me and putting our son in my arms. "Thank you love. And while you're at it, can you unpack everything while I take care of these two? It will be a while."

I nodded while replying. "Yes love. I can do that. Could you please let it go for a little while though?" I sighed when she gave me a questioning look. "I know how you are feeling right now, believe it or not. You-Know-Who almost succeeded in killing them tonight. I saw it with my own eyes. That was why I reacted the way I did when they arrived in Dumbledore's office. I was afraid that I would lose my two best friends after being betrayed by somebody who I thought was my friend, all in the same night." The look of horror on Lily's face was all the evidence I needed to know that she understood. "Thank you Lily. This means a lot to me." I said while exiting the room.

As I reached the nursery, which was right next to the master suite and connected to it by means of a doorway, I couldn't help but wonder what made Sirius and Remus act like that. I knew they weren't under the influence of the imperious curse, because it didn't affect either of them. Oddly enough, it doesn't work on Remus because he is a werewolf. Sirius isn't affected because he can fight it off within seconds, even if is the "Dark Lord" himself.

"Alfred!" I called out quietly enough so that Harry would not wake. Within seconds the head of the house elves of Potter Manor appeared in front of me with a quiet popping sound while bowing to me.

"What is it that Master James would like for Alfred to do?" He asked politely.

"Alfred, if you could take care of Harry while I unpack everything, that would do just fine my friend. You see, Pettigrew betrayed Mistress Lily and I, so we had to move away from Godric's Hollow."

"Of course Master James. Alfred would be most pleased to take care of young Master Harry. Is there anything else Master James requires of Alfred?"

"You only have to watch over my son. I will inform Mistress Lily that you are watching over him, and therefore should not be summoned." I kindly told him. Of course Master James. Alfred will take good care of young Master Harry." He replied while giving me a respectful bow.

After I reached the master suite, I started unpacking everything. It was easy to organize everything because Lily and I knew where to put what thing. Well, Lily was probably still in the sitting room giving Remus and Sirius an earful.

"William!" I called out. Within seconds, the house elf in charge of cleaning arrangements of Potter Manor appeared before me with an audible pop.

"Yes Master James? What is there for William to do?" He asked me while bowing respectfully.

"William, if you could please notify Mistress Lily that Alfred is taking care of young Master Harry, that would be wonderful. After telling her this, if you would like to help me unpack everything, you can choose to do so."

"Oh but of course Master James. William will inform Mistress Lily of this. William will also help with unpacking everything so that Master James does not have to work alone." After he said this, he gave me another respectful bow and disappeared with as loud pop.

 **A couple of hours later**

After everything was unpacked and everybody had turned in for the night, I lay in bed with my wife in my arms. After a few moments she asked me, "Do you think I went too hard on them James? I mean, I basically made them feel guilty for their actions."

I could tell that she was taking this rather hard so I decided to comfort her. "I can't say for sure whether you were wrong or right Lily. I do know that they needed someone to make them realize that this was more serious than they were taking it. In my opinion, you did the right thing."

When I said that, I could actually feel the tension leave her body as she sighed in relief. I smiled, knowing that she wasn't as worried as before.

 **AN: Hey guys. I know that it has been a while since I last updated this story. I would like to apologise for that with this long chapter. I literally do not know how long the chapter is but I think it is around 1.5k. At least it is longer than I usually make my chapters. To the person who asked me to make the chapters longer; Is this long enough? this is literally the longest that I could make the chapter without running out of ideas for it. I literally make them on the fly by writing them before typing them in google drive and posting to fanfiction. Anyway, I really need reviews you guys. Without them, I don't know how you guys are liking the chapter. Anyways, I've probably rambled on long enough so, until next time my friends!**

 **-Otaku Out**


End file.
